Rebate advertising system in use with moving objects

ABSTRACT

An advertising system and method for providing rebates to individuals who affix advertisement displays, such as bumper stickers, on their vehicles and other objects. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an advertisement display having an advertisement portion is affixed to the rear portion of a vehicle. The advertisement portion displays advertisements or other images. An identification portion is connected to the advertisement display and provides identification to at least one predetermined individual or entity. Such identification could include the owner of vehicle, for example, as well as the advertiser or any other needed information. A commercial entity, such as a gas station or any other participating retail or service establishment, is configured with a detector means for detecting and or communicating with the advertisement display and is in turn connected to a commercial entity computer via a connection means in order to connect to the database computer system of this invention. The database computer system comprises a database computer, which is connected to a database via a connection means. The database stores information about the vehicle and the advertisement display and instructs the participating commercial entity establishment if and how to provide the rebate.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is a Continuation Application of the allowedco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/437,372, having a filingdate of Nov. 10, 1999, the entirety of which is incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates to advertisement displays, and moreparticularly, to a rebate advertising system and method in use withmoving objects.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] In today's modern world of fierce competition and bustlingeconomics, companies and retailers are increasingly pressured to connectwith every potential consumer so that profits and sales can bemaximized. Fortunately, our current technological state ofcommunications provides advanced methods for advertising as well astransmitting information about various products and services to thepublic. For example, mass-printed publications, radio, television,billboards, posters, etc. open avenues of contact that were once notimaginable.

[0004] Despite the success of the commercial world, there are severalinherent limitations to the methods used in modem advertising. Mainly,the advertisement world of today functions within much of the sameconstraints as in the antiquated past. For example, companies are stillmostly limited to the approach of purchasing a commercial ‘spot’ on atelevision show or in a magazine, etc. Indeed, advertisement has notevolved from this methodology, because there are few other ways togenerate a system where consumer ‘ratings’ or ‘subscription size’ can begauged to as to set a fair advertisement fee.

[0005] Yet, there is a myriad of potential ‘consumer space’ foradvertisers to grab if only the appropriate technology to overcome theabove-mentioned problem existed. Namely, if there were a new method forcharging advertisers, perhaps advertisements could obtain a broaderexposure to the consumer. Such exposure or ‘consumer space’ couldinclude the actual consumer as well as the entire individual consumermarket as opposed to the professional advertising means, as mentionedabove.

[0006] Furthermore, the present method used to charge for advertisementdoes not function effectively with moving objects, such as cars. This isbecause there is no set number of viewers or other criteria to gauge theeffectiveness and/or worth of the advertisement. For example, one carcould remain parked in a garage for the majority of a given day, whileanother drives around a heavily populated area. Moreover, there is noway of verifying if the driver does indeed display the advertisement onhis or her car.

[0007] Thus, what is needed is a method of advertising via a system thatenables companies to utilize the myriad of other potential commercialspace. Such a system would preferably create advertising techniques thatgo outside the constraints in existence today.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] It is thus a general object of the present invention to provide arebate advertisement system that enables companies to advertise withmoving objects, among other things.

[0009] A more specific object of the present invention is to provide arebate advertising system, wherein advertisers provide advertisementdisplays to be affixed on vehicles or other devices, and the vehicleoperator or other user receives a rebate or discount when theadvertisement display is detected in a participating retail or serviceestablishment.

[0010] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, anadvertisement display is affixed to the rear portion of a vehicle. Theadvertisement display comprises an advertisement portion for displayingadvertisements or other images and an identification portion forproviding identification to one or more predetermined individuals orentities. Such identification could include the owner of vehicle, forexample, as well as the advertiser or any other needed information.

[0011] A commercial entity, such as a gas station or any otherparticipating retail or service establishment, is configured with adetector means for detecting and or communicating with the advertisementdisplay and in turn connected to a commercial entity computer via aconnection means in order to connect to the database computer system.

[0012] Database computer system comprises a database computer, which isconnected to a database via a connection means. The database storesinformation about the vehicle and the advertisement display andinstructs the participating commercial entity establishment if and howto provide the rebate.

[0013] The advertisement display, according to one embodiment of theinvention, is a bumper sticker that is attachably or detachably affixedto the body of a vehicle. In this embodiment, the identification portioncould be a bar code or other computer scannable code, so that a devicesuch as the detector means of the commercial entity can electronicallyor otherwise detect one or more identification codes from theadvertisement display. Illustratively, a vehicle can drive into a gasstation, for example, wherein a scanner at the gas pump or otherlocation identifies the presence of a particular bumper stickeradvertisement. Then, in response to a particular identification code andsubsequent communication with database computer system, a predeterminedresponse, such as a cash discount toward the purchase of gas at the gasstation is provided. Such a rebate could be provided automatically atthe pump or via a printed coupon or other methodology that provides asimilar corresponding benefit in response to the advertisement.

[0014] In this manner, for example, a vehicle could register for andobtain an advertisement display, for the display of advertisement on thevehicle's bumper, and be compensated via a commercial entity discount orother benefit, in exchange for affixing the bumper sticker on thevehicle.

[0015] The above description sets forth rather broadly the moreimportant features of the present invention in order that the detaileddescription thereof that follows may be understood, and in order thatthe present contributions to the art may be better appreciated. Otherobjects and features of the present invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description considered in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that thedrawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustration and not asa definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference shouldbe made to the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] In the drawings in which like reference characters denote similarelements throughout the several views:

[0017]FIG. 1 shows a bumper sticker advertisement display according toone embodiment of the invention, affixed to the rear portion of avehicle;

[0018]FIG. 2 shows the computer database system of one embodiment ofthis invention, wherein the advertisement display of FIG. 1 is detectedby a participating commercial entity, which in turn communicates withthe system;

[0019]FIG. 3 shows a user list and an advertisement list for storingdata on the database computer system of FIG. 2, according to oneembodiment of this invention;

[0020]FIG. 4 shows an account record for one advertisement display of auser, according to one embodiment of this invention;

[0021]FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the system of this invention forproviding a rebate to individuals displaying an advertising display;

[0022]FIG. 6 shows an advertisement display, according to one embodimentof the invention, having an active use device and a recording chip;

[0023]FIG. 7 shows an individual wearing a shirt, wherein the detectiondevice according to one embodiment of the invention is able to track theamount of time that the shirt is worn; and

[0024]FIG. 8 shows a cap configured with a detection device to operatewith the rebate system of one embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] With initial reference to FIG. 1, an advertisement display 100 isshown affixed to the rear portion of a vehicle 106, according to oneembodiment of the present invention. Advertisement display 100 comprisesan advertisement portion 102 for displaying advertisements or otherimages and an identification portion 104 for providing identification toone or more predetermined individuals or entities. Such identificationcould include the owner of vehicle 106, for example, as well as theadvertiser or any other needed information.

[0026] With reference to FIG. 2, vehicle 106 is shown communicating withthe database computer system 214 according to one embodiment of thisinvention. Database computer system 214 comprises a database computer204 which is connected to a database 206 via a connection means 212.

[0027]FIG. 2 further illustrates a commercial entity 200, such as a gasstation, which is configured with a detector means 208 for detecting andor communicating with advertisement display 100 and in turn connected toa commercial entity computer 202 via connection means 210 in order toconnect to database computer system 214 via connection means 216. Themethod and operation of computer database system 214 as well as thecommunication process via commercial entity 200 will be described inmore detail below.

[0028] Advertisement display 100, according to one embodiment of theinvention, is a bumper sticker that is attachably or detachably affixedto a portion of vehicle 106. Naturally, it should be noted thatadvertisement display 100 is not limited to the configuration asillustrated in FIG. 1 and as recited hereinabove. For example,advertisement display 100 could be configured as a windshield cover or awheel hubcap, or any other visible portion of a vehicle. In fact, aswill be discussed in more detail below, the method of this invention canbe configured for use in any environment, not solely that of a vehicle.

[0029] In the above-mentioned embodiment, identification portion 104could be a bar code or other computer scannable code, so that a devicesuch as detector means 208 can electronically or otherwise detect one ormore identification codes from advertisement display 100.Illustratively, a vehicle can drive into a gas station, or any otherparticipating retail or service establishment, for example, wherein ascanner at the gas pump or other location identifies the presence of abumper sticker advertisement. Then, in response to a particularidentification code and subsequent communication with database computersystem 214, a predetermined response, such as a cash discount toward thepurchase of gas at the gas station is provided. Such a rebate could beprovided automatically at the pump or via a printed coupon or othermethodology that provides a similar corresponding benefit in response tothe advertisement.

[0030] In this manner, for example, a vehicle could register for andobtain advertisement display 100, for the display of an advertisement onthe vehicle's bumper, and be compensated via a commercial entitydiscount or other benefit, in exchange for affixing the bumper stickeron the vehicle. The complete process and use of the system of thisinvention will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG.5.

[0031] According to another embodiment, the identification portion ofthe advertisement display could be a transmitter, wherein theappropriate code or signal is transmitted to the correspondingcommercial entity, as opposed to the commercial entity having to locatethe advertisement display. This reduces the possibility of error by notrequiring the detector means of the commercial entity to search and finda bar code or similar identification. Such a transmitter device could beattached to the advertisement portion, as above, or be a separate anddistinct unit operating in conjunction with the advertisement portion.

[0032] Moreover, various methods can be used to ensure that such atransmitter only operates or transmits when a correspondingadvertisement is present. For example, an activation system can beutilized, wherein the transmitter remains deactivated until a signal issent from the advertisement display. A simple LED light or bar code maybe sufficient for this task. Illustratively, the advertisement displayscan be configured to emit a particular signal via an attached LED light,for example. Unless an advertisement display is present, the transmitterwill not detect the proper coded LED light and will remain deactivated.

[0033] Similarly, a two tier system can be utilized to preserve theresources of the commercial entity. At the first tier, the transmitteror other device notifies the commercial entity when an advertisementdisplay is present so that the detector means of the commercial entitycan remain dormant for other non-participating vehicles. Thereafter, atthe second tier the commercial entity is provided with the actualidentification transmission from the transmitter.

[0034] Notably, there are many security and technological concerns withthis invention. These include means for detecting fraud, such asindividuals attempting to obtain discounts without affixing theadvertisement display to their car, as stated above. Furthermore, thereare other technological concerns, wherein the database computer systemneeds to intelligently determine the length of time an advertisement hasbeen displayed and at what locations, etc. These issues will now bediscussed along with the discussion of the database computer systemstructure and corresponding FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0035] With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the logical structure of aportion of database 206 is shown, according to one embodiment of theinvention. Database 206 comprises a user list 300, an advertisement list302 and one or more account records 400.

[0036] User list 300 is configured to store a plurality of user entries,such as user entries 304-308, wherein each user entry ‘points to’ one ormore advertisement entries from advertisement list 302, such asadvertisement entries 310-316.

[0037] Briefly, database computer system 214 is configured to keep trackof and manage all advertisements distributed by the system of thisinvention. This is accomplished by maintaining an entry in database 206(FIG. 2) for each of the many individuals (users) who are displayingadvertisements on their vehicles, for example. Furthermore, each userentry has one or more account records 400, as described below, to storeinformation for each corresponding advertisement(s) being displayed.

[0038] Thus, a given user or individual can register to use one or moreadvertisement displays. Illustratively, user entry 304, for example,which may correspond to an individual car owner, is registered foradvertisements 312 and 316. Each of these two advertisementregistrations corresponds, for example, to a particular type of bumpersticker or other advertisement for display on the vehicle of user 1.Naturally, more than one user may display the same advertisement andhence several advertisements are ‘pointed to’ by more than one user.

[0039] For every advertisement display assigned to a user acorresponding account record, such as account record 400, is provided torecord and keep track of various data so that the user can be properlycompensated, among other things.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 4, the account record for one of theadvertisement displays of user 1 is displayed. The account record hasstorage means to record information corresponding to the use ofadvertisement 4 by user 1. These include, according to one embodiment ofthe invention, hours driven 402, location index 404, compensation index406, number of logons 408, and logon history file 410.

[0041] Hours driven 402, keeps track of the time advertisement display100 has been on the road and visible to the public. Location index 404records an index number to factor the various locations driven to. Forexample, cars that often drive through more heavily populated areas maygenerate a higher location index and a larger rebate. Compensation indexstores a number based on the fee paid for the correspondingadvertisement. For example, an advertisement affixed to a Lexus vehiclemay generate a higher compensation rate than a similar advertisement ona Honda, because advertisers may be willing to pay extra for the moreimpressive impact offered by a luxury car. Similarly, a Pepsiadvertisement may generate a higher compensation rate than a localadvertisement, because a larger percentage of the viewing public arepotential Pepsi consumers. Naturally, the compensation rate may beadjusted to conform with generally accepted business practices. Thecompensation index is combined with the location index to produce theeffective rebate, such as the amount and frequency of discounts at aparticipating establishment.

[0042] Number of logons field 408 records the number and frequency ofconnections established between advertisement display 100 and databasecomputer system 214. Logon history file 410 tracks the activity of aparticular account, such as how many and the amount of rebatespreviously redeemed.

[0043] According to one embodiment, the number of logons field may beused to estimate the length of time a car has been on the road to ensureagainst fraud and determine the proper rebate to apply, as mentionedabove. For example, the database computer system may have trackingpoints (not shown) at various locations throughout a particular city.These tracking points will typically be located at participatingcommercial establishments. Each time a vehicle with an advertisementdisplay passes such a tracking point a detection device notifies thedatabase computer system. Thus, even at locations where the individualis not able to redeem his or her rebate points, a device may be used tosimply track the presence of the advertisement display. Based on thenumber of times a connection with the database computer system has beenestablished, the database may decide to increase or decrease the rebateprovided to the user, etc. Of course, the database computer system maybe configured to ignore multiple passes through a detection devicewithin a short period of time, so that individuals will not be able toaccumulate points illegitimately by repeatedly driving by a trackingpoint.

[0044] According to yet another embodiment, another system for detectingfraudulent use is utilized. In this embodiment, rather than estimatingthe length of time a car has been on the road a standard fixed rebate isprovided to all vehicles having an advertisement display. When theadvertisement display is detected by a commercial entity, such as a gasstation, the detector means further scans for one of several securitydevices to ensure that the advertisement display is indeed affixed to acorresponding vehicle or other valid object. For example, as mentionedabove, a vehicle may be equipped with a signaling device that detects orverifies the presence of a properly affixed advertisement display.

[0045] Alternatively, the detecting means could check if a license plateis visibly near the advertisement display, whereas, according to oneembodiment, individuals would be required to affix all advertisementdisplays in that location. This detection could be done electronicallyvia intelligent computer vision software. Another method to check for alicense plate is to have an employee or other person randomly orsequentially view video images of vehicles to verify that theadvertisement display or a license plate is present.

[0046] It is understood that the database of this invention can storerelevant data in addition to that mentioned above. For example, anadvertiser database can be established (not shown) to keep track of thesuccess and/or popularity of an advertisement display. Thus, theadvertiser has means to see the number of individuals registered to aparticular advertisement display. Also, the total number of rebatepoints accumulated by all registered individuals as well as thegeographic areas covered by the advertisement can be stored as well.

[0047] Upon completion of an advertisement campaign, the advertiserdatabase may be configured to notify all individuals registered to thecorresponding advertisement display that they should remove theadvertisement. The notification may be accomplished via the Internet,such as by e-mail or on a company Website as well as by traditionalmail. Also, the commercial entities may be configured to provide suchnotification when an outdated advertisement display is detected.

[0048] According to one embodiment, an Internet site is configured sothat both the advertisers and the individual users can access portionsof the above-mentioned database over the Internet, such as via Internetconnection means 218 (FIG. 2). The Internet could provide means forindividuals to view the number of accumulated rebate points and foradvertisers to track the effectiveness of their advertisement display,among other things. For example, advertisers can determine whichcommercial entities are most popular, by checking how many advertisementdisplays passed through there. In one embodiment, individuals could usethe Internet when initially registering for an advertisement display, bychoosing from a variety of advertisements according to their preference,etc.

[0049] Also, a selection of coupons or other on-line rebates can beoffered so that individuals can redeem their rebate points on theInternet. For example, electronic certificates toward the purchase ofbooks at Amazon.com or a similar site may be provided. Alternatively, anactual coupon can be requested via traditional mail.

[0050] The method of using advertisement display 100 and receiving acorresponding rebate, according to one embodiment of this invention,will now be explained with reference to FIGS. 2 and 5, whichrespectively illustrate a graphic illustration of the various componentsof this invention and a flow diagram of the relevant steps used by therebate system of this invention.

[0051] Initially, at step 500 advertisement display 100 is affixed to anobject. As described above, advertisement display may, in oneembodiment, be a bumper sticker affixed to the rear portion of avehicle. In yet other embodiments, advertisement display may be a labelaffixed to an article of clothing, such as a T-shirt or baseball cap.Alternatively, advertisement display may be affixed to sports equipment,kites, bicycles, etc.

[0052] At step 502, the above-mentioned item to which advertisementdisplay 100 is affixed is driven or brought by an individual tocommercial entity 200, as illustrated in FIG. 2. For example, a vehiclemay be driven to a gas station or fast-food restaurant or any otherparticipating retail or service establishment.

[0053] Other objects that have sufficient space for advertising may alsobe employed. For example, golf equipment could be brought to a golfcourse, a baseball cap to a sports game, etc.

[0054] At step 504, commercial entity 200 detects one or moreidentification numbers 104 from advertisement display 100 of vehicle 106and communicates with commercial entity computer 202 via connection 210to retrieve corresponding rebate information from database computersystem 21 via connection 216. One method of simplifying the detectingprocess for an individual to carry an ID card and swipe it at a gas pumpor other location of a commercial entity. As described above, thecommercial entity may also have detection means to automatically detectthe presence of an advertisement display, for verification purposes.

[0055] Indeed, as mentioned above, security measures may be taken hereto ensure that a valid advertisement display is in fact present and thatit is affixed in a proper location. For example, a camera can capture animage of the rear of a vehicle so that a computer or individual canverify that there is an advertisement display affixed to an actualvehicle. One way to do so would be to visually or electronically checkfor a license plate. Naturally, the security measures mentioned abovewould be less rigid for a baseball cap advertisement display and morerigid for an automobile display. Likewise, a larger discount or rebatecould be offered for the vehicle advertisement as it covers more breadthand is less prone to fraud.

[0056] At step 506, database computer system 214 utilizes databasecomputer 204 and database 206 to retrieve database elements 300, 302 and400 in order to provide the appropriate rebate number or other responseto commercial entity computer 202. The database in turn would record thecommercial entity transaction and modify the individuals total rebatenumber if necessary.

[0057] At step 508, commercial entity 200 presents a discount or couponto driver of vehicle 106 based on the response provided at step 506. Thediscount here, may be provided via a printing station at the commercialentity or it could be provided via mail or the Internet. In addition,according to one embodiment, one response may be to contact the policestation if the corresponding vehicle has been reported stolen.

[0058] It is understood that the invention as described herein is butone embodiment and is not limited as such. For example, in anotherembodiment, advertisement display 100 may be configured with cellularcommunications technology. In this manner, database computer system 214can continuously track the whereabouts of advertisement display 100 andprovide a more accurate and secure rebate system to the individual.

[0059] In yet another embodiment, advertisement display is configured tooperate with the speedometer of a vehicle so that the number of milestraveled with the advertisement can be accurately recorded. Thus, anadvertisement display situated on a vehicle can have a measurement oractive use device or other sensor to determine the length of time avehicle is in motion. Alternative methods of tracking advertisementdisplay use, whether displayed on a vehicle or other object, includeheat detection, motion detection, light detection, heartbeat detection,etc.

[0060] With reference to FIG. 6, an advertisement display 600 is shownaccording to one embodiment of the invention, having an advertisement602, a recording chip 604 and an active use device 606. As describedabove, the active use device 606 may be connected to the speedometer ofa vehicle or a motion detection device, wherein the device determinesthe amount of time the advertisement display is actively displayed. Forexample, the active use device can be connected to the speedometer of avehicle so that is may calculate the amount of time the vehicle is inmotion. Thereafter, the time is recorded in the recording chip 204 andsubsequently transmitted to the database system of this invention todetermine the appropriate rebate to give to the vehicle owner.

[0061] The active use device 606 can also be configured to operate witha motion detector, heat detector, etc. to similarly determine the amountof time the advertisement display is being actively displayed. Forexample, an article of clothing having an advertisement display cancomprise an active use device, or similar component, that determines thelength of time the article of clothing is being worn. This may operatesimilar to some automatic watch systems, where a timer is incrementedvia a winding system as the individual wearer is in motion.

[0062] In addition, more sophisticated embodiments may include heat orheartbeat detection, among other techniques, for determining whether anindividual is wearing an article of clothing or advertisement display.Such detection devices can also be used to time the length of use bysensing body heat or a continuous heartbeat, etc.

[0063] With reference to FIG. 7, an individual 700 is shown, wearing ashirt 702 having a body heat and heartbeat detection device 704. Similarto the active use device above, this device 704 detects a heartbeat orbody heat and subsequently records the time that an individual iswearing the shirt, based on such data.

[0064]FIG. 8 shows a cap 800 with detection device 802 that alsooperates via a chip or device to detect the amount of time an individualis wearing the cap. For example, device 802 can detect heat or motion,etc., to sense if the hat is on a person's head. Notably, the embodimentof FIG. 8 does not comprise an advertisement. As will be described belowthe system of this invention may be configured to operate without anyadvertisement.

[0065] In one embodiment, the information obtained via theabove-mentioned detection devices can be transmitted to a remote server,such as the database computer system of this invention, wherein theprovided rebates, for example, are directly impacted by the length oftime calculated by the detection device. Optionally, in order tocounterbalance the potential errors generated by a less sophisticateddetection system, the database computer system can round off theprovided detection information to the nearest whole unit. For example,an advertisement display that detects four hours of motion can beinterpreted by the database computer system as one unit, correspondingto a full day of advertisement display use. Similarly, an advertisementdisplay that detects twelve hours would also be interpreted as the sameone unit, and so on. This system resolves any potential difficulty witha detection system that may have a large margin of error.

[0066] In yet another embodiment, as mentioned above with reference toFIG. 8, advertisement display can be configured to operate without anadvertisement. Indeed, a clothing manufacturer may configure theadvertisement display of one embodiment of this invention to operatewith shirts, pants, caps, etc. In other words, a participatingcommercial establishment could provide rebates or discounts toindividuals wearing a particular item of clothing. Thus, a shirt couldbe provided with a transmitter, in the shirt lining, for example, andupon entering a commercial establishment the transmitter is detected. Inthis embodiment, no actual advertisement is displayed. Rather, theadvertiser is paying individuals to wear their clothing, or other item,at a particular location. One application of this embodiment, forexample, is for a company to provide sports event discounts toindividuals who attend a sports event wearing their cap.

[0067] Furthermore, this invention is not limited to the types ofcommercial entities and advertisements described above. For example,other possible commercial entities are restaurants, parking lots, malls,banks, amusement parks, or any other business. Also, the advertisementscan be in any format and on an object. As mentioned above,advertisements can be placed on caps, t-shirts, shoes, bicycles, etc. Inaddition, the advertisement itself, may also be in various formats, suchas a text phrase, a picture, a 3D image, a video image, a soundrecording, etc.

[0068] Thus, while there have been shown and described and pointed outfundamental novel features of the invention as applied to alternativeembodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in the form and details of the disclosedinvention may be made by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe spirit of the invention. It is the intention, therefore, to belimited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto. Itis to be understood that the drawings are not necessarily drawn toscale, but that they are merely conceptual in nature.

What is claimed is:
 23. A rebate advertising system comprising: at leastone advertisement display, each having an advertisement portion thereon,wherein said advertisement display is associated with at least oneindividual; an identification portion corresponding to said advertisingdisplay; a database computer system configured to store informationpertaining to said identification portion and corresponding data of saidadvertisement display and said individual; at least one commercialentity, each having at least one detector means, wherein said detectormeans is configured to retrieve data from said identification portion,said commercial entity further configured to communicate with saiddatabase computer system; and connection means for enabling saidcommunication between said commercial entity and said database computersystem so that at least one rebate can be provided to said individualbased on said corresponding data of said database computer system. 24.The rebate advertising system of claim 23, wherein at least one of saidadvertisement display is a bumper sticker.
 25. The rebate advertisingsystem of claim 23, wherein said identification portion is at least oneof a bar code, a transmitter, an ID card, and an LED light.
 26. Therebate advertising system of claim 23, wherein said commercial entitycomprises gas stations, restaurants, parking lots, department stores,recreational and sports locations, business stores, and shopping malls.27. The rebate advertising system of claim 23, further comprising anobject, wherein each of said advertisement display is affixed to saidobject.
 28. The rebate advertising system of claim 27, wherein saidobject comprises at least one of a vehicle, a shirt, shoes, a cap,sports equipment, bicycles and moveable objects.
 29. The rebateadvertising system of claim 23, wherein said database computer system isaccessible to said individual via the Internet.
 30. The rebateadvertising system of claim 23, wherein said connection means comprisesthe Internet.
 31. The rebate advertising system of claim 23, whereinsaid detector means comprises at least one of a camera, an ID cardscanner, a bar code scanner, and a digital scanner.
 32. The rebateadvertising system of claim 23, wherein said corresponding data of saiddatabase computer system comprises an hours driven field, a locationindex field, a compensation index field, a number of logons field, and alogon history file field.
 33. A rebate advertising system comprising: atleast one advertisement display, each having an advertisement portionthereon, wherein said advertisement display is associated with at leastone individual; an identification portion corresponding to saidadvertising display; a database computer system configured to storeinformation pertaining to said identification portion and correspondingdata of said advertisement display and said individual; at least onedetector means, wherein said detector means is configured to retrievedata from said identification portion, said detector means furtherconfigured to communicate with said database computer system; andcommunication means for enabling said communication between saiddetector means and said database computer system so that at least onerebate can be provided to said individual based on said correspondingdata of said database computer system.
 34. The rebate advertising systemof claim 33, wherein at least one of said advertisement display is abumper sticker.
 35. The rebate advertising system of claim 33, whereinsaid identification portion is at least one of a bar code, atransmitter, an ID card, and an LED light.
 36. The rebate advertisingsystem of claim 33, further comprising a commercial entity which housessaid detector means, wherein said commercial entity comprises gasstations, restaurants, parking lots, department stores, recreational andsports locations, business stores, and shopping malls.
 37. The rebateadvertising system of claim 33, further comprising an object, whereineach of said advertisement display is affixed to said object.
 38. Therebate advertising system of claim 37, wherein said object comprises atleast one of a vehicle, a shirt, shoes, a cap, sports equipment,bicycles and moveable objects.
 39. The rebate advertising system ofclaim 33, wherein said database computer system is accessible to saidindividual via the Internet.
 40. The rebate advertising system of claim33, wherein said connection means comprises the Internet.
 41. The rebateadvertising system of claim 33, wherein said detector means comprises atleast one of a camera, an ID card scanner, a bar code scanner, and adigital scanner.
 42. The rebate advertising system of claim 33, whereinsaid corresponding data of said database computer system comprises anhours driven field, a location index field, a compensation index field,a number of logons field, and a logon history file field.